The Corvette has been associated with speed since its inception in 1953 and the aesthetics of the Corvette have become the flagship design of the Chevrolet model for the past couple of decades.
The Corvette was never slow by any means, but there was a recent push for smaller, compact street devils that have been transforming roads into fast and furious tracks in the past few years. This movement alienated the reign of the extended body Muscle cars for a time.
Even more recently there has been a shift occurring in the automotive world back to the much-loved, and greatly missed, gas guzzling, road chewing, you better watch your asphalt, Muscle car.
Fortunately, with this return to the bent chassisa of the sixties and seventies comes with improved factory standards including: better gas mileages, safety measures, interior luxury, and above all, performance and speed. Forbes recently published a list of The Top Ten Fastest American Cars. Guess who makes an appearance at number five?
The Top Ten Fastest American Cars.
No. 1 SSC Ultimate Aero.
Base Price: $654,500.
260 to 273 mph
No. 2 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo.
Baseline Price: $555,000.
240 to 260 mph (estimated)
No. 3 Evans 387 and 487 (tie) Base Prices: $175,000. (387); $170,000 (487) No. 4 Ford GT
No. 4 Ford GT.
Base Price: $141,245.
205 mph
No. 5 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
Base Price: $65,800.
198 mph
No. 6 Dodge Viper SRT-10.
Baseline Price: $85,745.
190 mph (estimated)
No. 7 Mullen M-11 with V-8.
Baseline Price: $69,950.
180+ mph
No. 8 Panoz Esperante GTLM.
Base Price: $121,325.
180 mph
No. 9 Chrysler 300C SRT8, Dodge Charger SRT8 and Dodge Magnum SRT8 (tie) Base Price(s): $42,695 (300C), $38,095 Charger) and $37,995 (Magnum.)
165 to 170 mph (estimated)
No. 10 Cadillac CTS-V. Base Price: $51,395.
Top Speed: 163 mph
And what does Forbes have to say about the Corvette's performance,
"The newest Corvette is also the fastest Corvette ever. Recently released, the Z06 has about as low a sticker price as a car with 505 hp can have. The Z06 performs like a race car or supercar, but is also a perfectly acceptable 'daily driver.' Consider its fuel economy: 16/26 city/highway mpg--hardly typical for a race car."
Considering the SSC Ultimate Aero costs ten times the price of a Chevrolet Corvette Z06, but only delivers 60 to 73 more mph. The Z06 really does get you more go for your dough!
The Z06 seems to be middle of the road, of the top ten fastest, but if you look at the numbers, you are paying 20k less for a Z06 than the Dodge Viper SRT-10, commonly mistaken as delivering more speed.
With a price tag that leaves a few dimes in the pocket and a speed threshold that threatens to tear those pockets off your designer leather pants, the huge demand and popularity of the Corvette Z06 proves that the era of the Muscle car is not over.
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